Ask The Pilot

[mjt57]

we mostly operate the 380 between Dubai and London with a two man crew, but an SO might be added if the weather makes a diversion likely.

How do you manage that? For example, if a diversion is likely how long before the flight is this decision made? ie. what are the chances of having SOs in DXB available to do the sectors, if normally you fly 2 man crews to London? Presumably MEL-DXB have SOs, but if you needed one for the London leg wouldn't you need to get another guy to do the Melbourne return trip?

I can only imagine the roster muckups that can occur on such routes when weather, sickness, etc. cause holes in the roster to appear.

 

[jb747]

How do you manage that? For example, if a diversion is likely how long before the flight is this decision made? ie. what are the chances of having SOs in DXB available to do the sectors, if normally you fly 2 man crews to London? Presumably MEL-DXB have SOs, but if you needed one for the London leg wouldn't you need to get another guy to do the Melbourne return trip?

I can only imagine the roster muckups that can occur on such routes when weather, sickness, etc. cause holes in the roster to appear.

They build the patterns so that they have two days in DXB northbound. It's the reason that many patterns have a bit more than the minimum slip time. If you need to grab people, then they constitute a captive audience. If patterns are all built using minimum slip (some can be, but not all), then everything falls apart as soon as you have one sickness, or any other change.

At some times of the year, they'll even plan similar trips with different crew numbers. QF1/2 is more likely (than 9) to have issues in London, and Dubai (southbound). So, it's quite possible that an SO could be added to the 1 & 2, but not to the 9 & 10.

Weather issues are watched constantly, by operations and by fleet managers. They could make the call, to add to the crew, at almost any time, from months ahead (lots of weather is seasonal), down to about 12 hours.

 

[Dmac6345]

jb, I have noticed that when the weather is poor (mainly windy), that most aircraft on their finals have the landing gear down much earlier than normal. Is this correct and is there a reason for that?
Thanks for your efforts once again.

 

[jb747]

jb, I have noticed that when the weather is poor (mainly windy), that most aircraft on their finals have the landing gear down much earlier than normal. Is this correct and is there a reason for that?

There's nothing specific.

Some forms of approach require us to be 'stabilised' for the entire approach, which means fully configured for about 10 miles, but most approaches you fly and change configuration simultaneously.

Gusty winds that include a tailwind component, will be easier to handle with more drag, so that could lead to an earlier gear selection.

Approaches that have been set up high, either by error, or by ATC holding you up high, or cutting the aircraft in from downwind earlier than expected, are best handled by taking the gear very early (sometimes before the flap). There is a lot of drag in the gear, and they make excellent speed brakes. I took the gear on base going into LA the other day....that would have been with about 12 miles to run, but it was needed to fix the vertical offset from an early turn off downwind. Whilst it would be nice to always finesse approaches, and never need speed brakes or gear, it's a dynamic environment.

 

[Quickstatus]

JB, are there female QF A380 pilots?

 

[jb747]

JB, are there female QF A380 pilots?

There are female SOs and FOs. No Captains, though a number of the women are more than senior enough to have come to it if they'd wanted.

 

[Quickstatus]

Hi JB, apart from pilots flying, are flights also monitored by the airline from the ground?. Does real time feedback from on ground monitoring to pilots occur?(Not referring to flightaware enthusiasts)

 

[jb747]

Hi JB, apart from pilots flying, are flights also monitored by the airline from the ground?. Does real time feedback from on ground monitoring to pilots occur?(Not referring to flightaware enthusiasts)

There is some level of monitoring by RR as the engines are leased on a 'power by the hour' basis. They are not available for any form of advice. I expect that it's very part time.

The company does not monitor in real time. Engineering will be sent messages by the aircraft, and they are notified when any ECAMs or EICAS messages appear. They rarely call us, but we often call them, particularly with regard to systems in the cabin. Procedurally, we'll only follow what's on the checklists, so any advice they can offer is limited.

 

[Quickstatus]

JB,
Are pilots required to memorise any part of the numerous checklists - say top 3 actions on a checklist?

 

[jb747]

JB,
Are pilots required to memorise any part of the numerous checklists - say top 3 actions on a checklist?

You need to memorise certain emergency checklists. There are about 10-15 of them. They're the items that there simply won't be time to look up (for instance depressurisation, or loss of braking). Everything else is done from the list. Memory is a great way to get things wrong.

 

[Welsh-Kiwi]

JB, have you ever had to land a commercial jet single handed because your co-pilot was incapacitated?

 

[jb747]

JB, have you ever had to land a commercial jet single handed because your co-pilot was incapacitated?

No, although I have used the SO instead of the FO. If doing it yourself, just set everything up early, take your time, and use the autopilot. Not a big issue.

 

[Quickstatus]

JB do you have personal checklists that you use when in coughpit?

 

[jb747]

JB do you have personal checklists that you use when in coughpit?

No. Anything like that would tend to breach the very standardised environment. In the 380, checklists are virtually all associated with the ECAM. If you want more information than that, the OIT and iPads both contain the manuals.

On the 747, it's still mostly paper, but you only use the provided books and checklists.

 

[Clivem]

I noted with interest flight VA9901 today, the VA Bathurst 1000 ‘fly by’ flight. It departed MEL and circled many times to the N.W. of Bathurst. Descending in that time from roughly 26,000 ‘ to 2,600’ to fly over the start / finish straight on cue just before race start and then came back over the top part of the circuit before returning to MEL. Channel 7, as part of their coverage, securing some very good images of the passes /banking etc. The questions relating to this are, any special conditions / additional planning requirements imposed on such flights and how are flight crew generally appointed / selected for such ‘display’ flights ?

 

[warpspeed]

JB,

Are there any instances (aside from helping on a tight ground turn), where you'd deliberately have differing thrust settings on the engines? Any instances in flight when that would be used? e.g. major crosswind? or is that all handled with rudder trim?

If there are no other instances, what's the reasoning behind providing individual engine controls?

 

[Alanslegal]

I flew into/out of BHQ with Rex the other day. As the airport is tiny is there an ATC or do planes just land/go as they please?

 

[Fruitcake]

I noted with interest flight VA9901 today, the VA Bathurst 1000 ‘fly by’ flight. It departed MEL and circled many times to the N.W. of Bathurst. Descending in that time from roughly 26,000 ‘ to 2,600’

Given the elevation of YBTH aerodrome is 2435ft and I believe the track at Mt Panorama is a little higher, a flypast at 2600ft would be extremely interesting!

 

[Clivem]

Given the elevation of YBTH aerodrome is 2435ft and I believe the track at Mt Panorama is a little higher, a flypast at 2600ft would be extremely interesting!

The 2,600' data was just pulled from the flight radar 24 flight history only, at the point on approach to the start finish straight .. so your point is very much noted with interest.
Here is the link to the flight history as such.
VA9901 - Virgin Australia - Flight history - Flightradar24
Interested to know if any special procedures are adopted / required and how crews are appointed for such flights - Cheers and thanks for the great read this thread is.

 

[jb747]

I noted with interest flight VA9901 today, the VA Bathurst 1000 ‘fly by’ flight. It departed MEL and circled many times to the N.W. of Bathurst. Descending in that time from roughly 26,000 ‘ to 2,600’ to fly over the start / finish straight on cue just before race start and then came back over the top part of the circuit before returning to MEL. Channel 7, as part of their coverage, securing some very good images of the passes /banking etc. The questions relating to this are, any special conditions / additional planning requirements imposed on such flights and how are flight crew generally appointed / selected for such ‘display’ flights ?

CASA would almost certainly have some involvement, and would impose whatever conditions they like. Crew would probably be from the training department...that sort of flight never goes to line pilots.